Dressed to Game

Dressed to Game

We've mentioned earlier that the MSI GX400 is quite recognizably an MSI notebook and you'll notice immediately that the design is similar to the larger notebook models that MSI has in its stable. We say similar, because as far as the build goes, the gaming range of their products share almost the same outer chassis design, though the interior and cover materials differ. In the case of the GX400, MSI has chosen a shiny half glossy exterior that does the job well of hiding the fingerprints, but it's still noticeable though.

The interior however, is another matter altogether. MSI has gone for a nice gorgeous non-reflective plastic surface that feels smooth to the touch. You won't find any messy fingerprint smudges here, which is a really good thing to know. MSI has decided to use a reflective screen instead of a matte screen, which while it does look good for the more vibrant colors displayed, we were none too convinced with the screen's brightness as the range from dim to bright was really limited. Bright sunlight will be a bane of this screen as we found out during our testing.

Inspecting the notebook further down, the speakers on this notebook are definitely adequate for gaming and you'll appreciate the clarity and volume when the action is happening on-screen. As for the all important keyboard, it was generally fine to type with some flex. Interestingly, we also found it positioned slightly off-center to the right to accommodate for the hot-keys lined up on the left edge. As such, we often found ourselves accidentally brushing against the trackpad (which couldn't be locked) while typing.

The flushed trackpad here is also something that we liked about the GX400. Its smooth feel and solid buttons gave us a solid and responsive tracking onscreen. MSI doesn't expect you to play games with the trackpad and has included a mouse in our review retail package. Lastly, the palm rests did get slightly warm while we were typing this review using the notebook, so do take note if you intend to use it for long sessions.